Mauritius, the island known for its white-sand beaches, luxury resorts and sapphire waters. But there are a few more things to know about Mauritius. Let us introduce you to Mauritius and some interesting facts about this island country.
# Mauritius was uninhabited by humans until the Arabs landed there in the Middle Ages. So one of the important things to know about Mauritius is that it has no indigenous population.
# The main island of Mauritius is only 28 miles wide and 40 miles long. Coral reefs surround almost the entire island.
# Mauritius was settled by Dutch, French and the British.
# Mauritius was an important base on the trade routes from Europe to the East before the opening of the Suez Canal. Both, the French and the British fought over Mauritius during the Napoleonic years.
# It used to be a primary sugar colony and even today, Mauritius’ main export is sugar cane.
# The country gained its independence in 1968.
# The name comes from Admiral Wybrand Van Warwyck. He named the island “Mauritius” after Prince Maurice van Nassau, the ruler of the Dutch Republic. Another interesting fact on the list of things to know about Mauritius.
# There is 150 km of white sandy beaches in Mauritius.
# Another one of the things to know about Mauritius, is the fact that the national drink is rum as Mauritius has a number of working rum factories. The local specialities include vanilla, coffee, coconut, and even chilli-flavoured rum.
# The dodo bird is the symbol of Mauritius and it features on the coat of arms of this country. This flightless bird has been extinct since the year 1681, it was endemic to Mauritius. There were no predators on the island before the arrival of humans and the dodo could never fly. It’s most likely that they survived on fruit that fell to the ground. This made the dodo an easy target for the hungry settlers and the reason why these birds became extinct within 80 years of their arrival.
# Lewis Carroll has been inspired by the dodo to write his famous book “Alice in Wonderland” in 1865
# Probably one of the most fascinating things to know about Mauritius is that there is no official language in Mauritius! However, most people speak Creole, French, and English. Many also speak Hindi.
# Yes, Mauritius has amazing beaches. It also has some amazing street food including, curries, dholl puri and halim soup. You can find more about the food in Mauritius by joining a food tour in Port Louis.
# The national music of Mauritius is Sega music. One of the things you probably didn’t know about Mauritius as I haven’t myself before visiting. Sega music originated among the slave populations of Mauritius. When performing the sega dance, Mauritian dancers never leave their feet from the ground, rather just moving the rest of their body.
# The only underwater waterfall in the world can be found just off the coast of Mauritius. It’s actually an illusion that you can only witness from above. The underwater currents and sand flowing off the edge of the ocean floor create an illusion of an underwater waterfall. To be able to see it, your best bet is to book a helicopter tour.
# There are 7 small stone pyramids in Mauritius on the south side on a flat plain known as Plaine Magnien. Only discovered recently, nobody is quite sure about their origins.
# Sugar cane fields cover around 85% of the island. There are a few peaks you can hike to for some amazing views. So go hiking or book a hiking tour of Le Morne Brabant.
# The Seven Coloured Earths is a small area of sand dunes comprising of seven colours (red, brown, violet, blue, yellow and green). It is a popular tourist attraction located in the Chamarel plain in south-western Mauritius. The colours stay the same even after the rain. Chamarel Waterfall is not far from it. The Most Popular Full-Day Tour is Seven Coloured Earth, Trou aux Cerfs, and Chamarel Waterfall.
# The country holds a Guinness-certified world record for organising the world’s largest shower 200 people took part in a 5-minute long giant shower on the beach at Flic en Flac.
# Mauritius is the only nation in Africa with Hinduism as the major religion. Another one of the things I didn’t know about Mauritius before travelling here. 49% of the people are Hindus, 26% Roman Catholic, 6% other Christians, 17% Muslim, 1.5% Other. There are many Hindu temples you can visit in Mauritius.
# The best time to visit Mauritius is between May to December, when the climate is cool, dry and sunny. The cyclone season lasts from January to March making it very wet during this time.